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Borough of Pine Grove, PA
Schuylkill County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Code
New Laws (0) Index
[Adopted 8-2-1979 by Ord. No. 241]
Unless the context specifically and clearly indicates otherwise, the meaning of terms used in this article shall be as follows:
AUTHORITY
Pine Grove Borough Authority, a Pennsylvania municipality authority.
B.O.D. (BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND)
The quantity of oxygen expressed in ppm, utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure for five days at 20° C. The standard laboratory procedure shall be that found in the latest edition of "Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater" published by the American Public Health Association.
BOROUGH
The Borough of Pine Grove, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, acting by and through its Council or, in appropriate cases, acting by and through its authorized representatives.
DWELLING UNIT
Any room, group of rooms, house trailer or other enclosure occupied or intended for occupancy as separate living quarters by a family or other group of persons living together or by persons living alone.
IMPROVED PROPERTY
Any property upon which there is erected a structure intended for continuous or periodic habitation, occupancy or use by human beings or animals and from which structure sanitary sewage and/or industrial wastes shall be or may be discharged.
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
Any solid, liquid or gaseous substance or form of energy rejected or escaping in the course of any industrial, manufacturing, trade or business process or in the course of the development, recovery or processing of natural resources, as distinct from sanitary sewage.
OWNER
Any person vested with ownership, legal or equitable, sole or partial, of any improved property.
PERSON
Any individual, partnership, company, association, society, corporation or other group or entity.
PH
The logarithm of the reciprocal of the concentration of hydrogen ions, expressed in grams per liter of solution, indicating the degree of acidity or alkalinity of a substance.
PPM
Parts per million by weight.
SANITARY SEWAGE
Normal water-carried household and toilet wastes from any improved property.
SEWER
Any pipe or conduit constituting a part of the sewer system used or usable for sewage collection purposes.
SEWER SYSTEM
All facilities, as of any particular time, for collecting, pumping, treating and disposing of sanitary sewage and/or industrial wastes, situate in or adjacent to this Borough acquired or to be acquired and owned by the Authority and leased to this Borough for maintenance and operation, under an agreement of lease, dated as of August 1, 1978, by and between the Authority and this Borough, and any supplements and amendments thereto.
SUSPENDED SOLIDS
Suspended solids as determined pursuant to the procedure set forth in the latest edition of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, published by the American Public Health Association.
[Amended 6-4-1981 by Ord. No. 257; 7-1-1982 by Ord. No. 270]
Sewer rentals or charges are imposed upon and shall be collected from the owner of each improved property which shall be connected to the sewer system, for use of the sewer system, whether such use shall be direct or indirect, which sewer rentals or charges shall commence and shall be effective as of the date of connection of each such improved property to the sewer system, and shall be payable as provided herein, in accordance with the following schedule of rates and classifications:
A. 
Residential.
(1) 
All owners of residentially improved properties required to be connected to the sewer system shall pay sewer rentals or charges in amounts established from time to time by resolution of the Borough Council, on the basis of the equivalent dwelling units as set forth in the following schedule:
[Amended 6-16-1983 by Ord. No. 274; at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]]
Category
Equivalent Dwelling Units
a)
Each single family house
1 unit
b)
Each house in a double or multiple row of connecting houses
1 unit
c)
Each apartment building, whether occupancy is controlled or is not controlled by law, per each rental unit
1 unit
d)
Each hotel, motel and boardinghouse, per 4 rental rooms or fraction thereof (except, sewer rentals or charges provided in this subsection shall not be in addition to those provided in Subsection B of this section; rentals and charges shall be assessed either under this subsection or under Subsection B of this section)
1 unit
(2) 
If the owner of any residential improved property shall fail to provide this Borough with complete information required to compute the sewer rental or charge to such residential improved property; this Borough may estimate a reasonable applicable sewer rental or charge for such residential improved property and such estimated sewer rental or charge shall be the actual sewer rental or charge payable until the required information is filed; provided, however, that no rebates will be paid by this Borough if the information filed reveals a lower indicated sewer rental or charge than that estimated by this Borough.
B. 
Nonresidential. (Commercial, industrial, clubrooms, firehouses, professional offices, restaurants, churches, institutions, etc.)
(1) 
All owners of nonresidential improved properties required to be connected to the sewer system shall pay sewer rentals or charges, except as hereinafter noted, in amounts established from time to time by resolution of the Borough Council, on the basis of equivalent dwelling units as set forth in the following schedule:
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
Category
Equivalent Dwelling Units
a)
Each retail store, business, industry or professional office not providing showers for employees, having 10 or fewer employees
1 unit
Each additional 5 employees or fraction thereof
1 1/2 unit
b)
Each business or industry providing showers for employees, having 8 or fewer employees
1 unit
Each additional 4 employees or fraction thereof
1/2 unit
c)
Each restaurant, tavern and club, per 15 seats or fraction thereof
1 unit
d)
Each hotel, motel and boardinghouse, per 4 rental rooms or fraction thereof
1 unit
e)
Each service station, garage and automobile repair shop, 2 bays or less
2 units
Each additional bay over 2 1/2 unit
f)
Each laundromat, per 5 washers or fraction thereof
1 unit
g)
Each barber shop and beauty shop not attached to or forming part of owner's residence, 2 chairs or less
1 1/2 units
Each additional 2 chairs or fraction thereof
1/2 unit
h)
Each barber shop and beauty shop attached to or forming part of owner's residence, 2 chairs or fewer
1/2 unit
Each additional 2 chairs or fraction thereof
1/2 unit
i)
Each church and fire company
1 unit
j)
Each improved property having a commercial garbage grinder (3/4 horsepower or greater), per each such grinder
1 unit
(2) 
If the owner of any nonresidential improved property (including any school) shall fail to provide this Borough with complete information required to compute the sewer rental or charge to such nonresidential improved property, this Borough may estimate a reasonable applicable sewer rental or charge for such nonresidential improved property and such estimated sewer rental or charge shall be the actual sewer rental or charge payable until the required information is filed; provided, however, that no rebates will be paid by this Borough if the information filed reveals a lower indicated sewer rental or charge than that estimated by this Borough.
C. 
Additional classifications and sewer rentals or charges or modifications of the above schedule of sewer rentals or charges may be established by this Borough and/or the Authority from time to time as deemed necessary.
D. 
Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to prohibit this Borough and/or the Authority from entering into separate agreements with owners (including any school) with respect to sewer rentals or charges to be imposed in those cases where, due to seasonal fluctuations or other unusual circumstances, the sewer rentals or charges set forth herein shall be deemed by this Borough and/or this Authority to be unfair or inequitable.
A. 
Bills.
(1) 
All bills for sewer rentals or charges shall be rendered in calendar quarters, on the first days of January, April, July and October, respectively, in each year, or on such other dates as this Borough and/or the Authority by resolution shall specify, and shall cover a quarterly billing period consisting of the immediately preceding three complete calendar months.
(2) 
All bills for sewer rentals or charges based on estimates of this Borough and/or the Authority shall be rendered for each calendar quarter promptly after the estimates are made.
(3) 
Owners of improved properties connected to the sewer system during any calendar quarter shall pay a pro rata sewer rental or charge for service for the balance of the calendar quarter.
(4) 
Upon advance application made upon forms to be provided by this Borough, and/or the Authority sewer rentals or charges will be abated pro rata during any period of 30 or more consecutive days during which an improved property connected to the sewer system is vacant.
B. 
Sewer rentals or charges shall be due and payable upon the applicable billing date as provided for in Subsection A of this § 145-26 and the appropriate amount computed in accordance with this article shall constitute the net bill. If sewer rentals or charges are not paid within 30 calendar days after each billing date, an additional sum of 10% shall be added to such net bill, which net bill, plus such additional sum, shall constitute the gross bill. Payment made or mailed and postmarked on or before the last day of such 30 calendar day period shall constitute payment within such period. If the end of such 30 calendar day period shall fall on a legal holiday or a Sunday, payment made on or mailed and postmarked on the next succeeding week day which is not a legal holiday shall constitute payment within such period. Any bill not paid within said thirty-calendar-day period shall be deemed delinquent.
C. 
Every owner of improved property which is connected to the sewer system initially shall provide this Borough and/or the Authority with and thereafter shall keep this Borough and/or the Authority advised of his correct address. Failure of any person to receive bills for sewer rentals or charges shall not be considered an excuse for nonpayment nor shall such failure result in an extension of the period of time during which the net bill shall be payable.
Sewer rentals or charges imposed by this article shall be a lien on the improved property connected to and served by the sewer system; and any such sewer rentals or charges which are delinquent shall be filed as a lien against the improved property so connected to and served by the sewer system, which lien shall be filed in the office of the Prothonotary of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, and shall be collected in the manner provided by law for the filing and collecting of municipal claims.
A. 
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any stormwater, surface water, spring water, groundwater, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, building foundation drainage, cellar drainage, drainage from roof leader connections, overflow or drainage from cesspools, exhaust steam or any oils, tar, grease, gas, benzine or other combustible gases or liquids or any garbage (unless treated in an approved manner), insoluble solids, inorganic wastes or any other dangerous or harmful substance which can adversely affect any part of the sewer system, into any sewer.
B. 
This Borough and/or the Authority reserves the right to refuse permission to connect to the sewer system to compel discontinuance of use of the sewer system, or to compel pretreatment of industrial wastes, in order to prevent discharges deemed harmful or to have a deleterious effect upon any sewer or the sewer system.
C. 
No sanitary sewage or industrial wastes shall be discharged to the sewer system:
(1) 
Being harmful or deleterious to any part of the sewer system.
(2) 
Being inhibitory to the treatment process at the sewage treatment plant constituting part of the sewer system.
(3) 
Containing any gasoline, benzine, naphtha, fuel oil or other flammable or explosive liquids, solids or gases.
(4) 
Carrying fats, oils or greases in excess of 500 ppm by weight.
(5) 
Being discharged into the sewer system at temperatures in excess of 150° F.
(6) 
Being discharged into the sewer system in batches of such volume as to tax the capacity of the sewage collection system constituting part of the sewer system or adversely affecting the treatment process.
(7) 
Being such color or other characteristic as to require special treatment to render the resulting effluent of the sewage treatment plant constituting part of the sewer system acceptable for discharge to the receiving stream.
(8) 
Being food wastes, garbage (unless treated in an approved manner), vegetable or fruit rinds, or paunch manure, feathers, bones, rags, or any other solid, fibrous or viscous inorganic or organic substance which the sewer system is not intended to receive.
(9) 
Being of such character, concentration, volume or combination as to tax the capacity of the sewage treatment plant constituting part of the sewer system.
(10) 
Including synthetic organic detergents or similar compounds in such volume as to interfere with the treatment process or the satisfactory operation of the sewage treatment plant constituting part of the sewer system.
(11) 
Including any liquids having a pH exceeding a minimum value of 6.0, or a maximum value of 9.0, or found to be excessively corrosive.
(12) 
Including any waters or wastes with a B.O.D. in excess of 500 ppm by weight.
(13) 
Including any waters or wastes with a suspended solids content in excess of 500 ppm by weight, or containing suspended solids of such character and/or quantity that unusual attention or expense is required to handle and/or treat such material.
(14) 
Including any waters or wastes containing any toxic, poisonous or any other materials in sufficient quantity to cause a hazard in the operation of the sewer system or which may result in an effluent discharge from the treatment plant unacceptable to any governmental body having jurisdiction.
D. 
Pretreatment facilities.
(1) 
Where necessary all owners shall install suitable pretreatment facilities in order to comply with Subsection C of this section.
(2) 
Plans, specifications and any other pertinent information relating to proposed facilities for preliminary treatment and handling of wastes shall be submitted for approval of this Borough and/or the Authority and no construction of any such facility shall be commenced until approval thereof first shall have been obtained, in writing, from this Borough and/or the Authority, and until approval thereof first shall have been obtained from any governmental body having jurisdiction.
(3) 
Whenever facilities for preliminary treatment and handling of wastes shall have been provided by any owner, such facilities continuously shall be maintained, at the expense of such owner, in satisfactory operating condition; and this Borough and/or the Authority shall have access to such facilities at reasonable times for purposes of inspection and testing.
E. 
Nothing contained in this section shall be construed as prohibiting any special agreement or arrangement between this Borough and/or the Authority and any person whereby industrial wastes of unusual strength or character may be admitted into the sewer system by this Borough and/or the Authority, either before or after preliminary treatment.
A. 
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged into the sewer system any industrial wastes except upon application to this Borough and/or the Authority and upon receipt of a written permit therefore by this Borough and/or the Authority.
B. 
Required survey data. Any person desiring to make or use a connection to the sewer system through which industrial wastes shall be discharged into the sewer system shall file with this Borough and/or the Authority an "Industrial Wastes Questionnaire," to be furnished by this Borough and/or the Authority, which shall supply to this Borough and/or the Authority pertinent data, including estimated quantity of flow, characteristics and constituents, with respect to industrial wastes proposed to be discharged into the sewer system.
C. 
Control manholes.
(1) 
Any person who shall discharge industrial wastes into the sewer system, when required by this Borough and/or the Authority, shall construct and thereafter properly shall maintain, at his own expense, a suitable control manhole and other devices as may be approved by this Borough and/or the Authority to facilitate observation, measurement and sampling by this Borough and/or the Authority of industrial wastes discharged to the sewer system.
(2) 
Any such control manhole, when required by this Borough and/or the Authority, shall be constructed at an accessible, safe, suitable and satisfactory location in accordance with plans approved by this Borough and/or the Authority prior to commencement of construction.
D. 
Changes in type of wastes. Any improved property discharging industrial wastes into the sewer system and contemplating a change in the method of operation which will alter the characteristics and/or volumes of wastes at the time being discharged into the sewer system shall notify this Borough and/or the Authority, in writing, at least 10 days prior to consummation of such change.
E. 
This Borough and/or the Authority reserves the right to require improved properties having large variations in rates of waste discharge to install suitable regulating devices for equalizing waste flows to the sewer system.
F. 
All owners of improved properties granted permission to discharge industrial wastes into the sewer system shall provide all facilities, including a meter or meters approved by this Borough and/or the Authority, necessary to measure and record the volume of discharge of industrial wastes.
This Borough and/or the Authority shall have the right of access at reasonable times to any part of any improved property served by the sewer system as shall be required for purpose of inspection, measurement, sampling and testing and for performance of other junctions relating to service rendered by this Borough and/or the Authority through the sewer system.
This Borough and/or the Authority reserves the right to adopt, from time to time, such additional rules and regulations as it shall deem necessary and proper in connection with use and operation of the sewer system, which rules and regulations shall be, shall become and shall be construed as part of this article.
A. 
The Borough and/or the Authority shall annually review, revise, and maintain records as outlined in final construction Grant Regulations, 40 CFR 35.935-13, of the Environmental Protection Agency, identified as Attachment "A."[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Attachment A is on file in the Borough offices.
B. 
The Borough and/or the Authority shall submit to the Environmental Protection Agency for approval, at the time an industrial user enters the system, and Industrial Cost Recovery System as outlined in Section 8.A(3) of the guidelines for Industrial Cost Recovery dated February, 1976, identified as Attachment "B."[2]
[2]
Editor's Note: Attachment B is on file in the Borough offices.